Secret cabinet.



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actuated and which norniallyt hold-s said vtop lo- ':ked.-'y sgainst removal; Big. 5 is a detail tra,"

' tions,

Application files'. ecember 3:1. 193.3' Serial No. E37/70.5,`

To all whom 'it may concer/i:

Be 1t known that l, LnoN Kruislaan, a citizen ot the United States, residing at lli/Vest Hoboken, in the county of Hudson and y State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Secret Cabinets, of which the toll/t. ving is a, specification.

- Ehe purpose of the present invention is to provide a novel torni of secret cabinet designed particularlytor use in the home, but susceptible for use in ofi'ices, or a y other place. Y

It is Ivery requent persons are en-4 gaged in business, associated with organizaor otnerwise. situated, as to place in their charge papers or articles of private nature, and oftentimes exceedingly valuable.

A secret-cabinet constructed in accordance with; the. `present invention is preferably builtgin the forni' of a writing desk adapted foriuse'in the home for `practical and orna-y mental. purposes, and containing secret coinpart'rnents adapted to receive papers or other articles, and only accessible bynianipulation "o'par'ts according t-o-a predetermined plan of oper properly 1n former. I. p While the inventionis embodied in the form of a deelnas hereinafter described, it is to be understood, of course, that the cab inet might be otherwise constructed to produce any article of 'urniture ot entirely ditferent form fr m that illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whiol e ation known only to one Figure l .is a perspective view ot a writing desk embodying the invent-ion, the drawer t'liereobeing shown open and the movable panelffprovided on the false partition ot the drawer, being movedninto a position exposing thedeydiole normally caried thereby; Fig. Q ilaiftransverse vertical sectional `view of theldsk or cabinet; Figz is a longitudinal section taken about on the line 8--3 of Fig. 2; Fig.`4t is a fragmentary perspective view, partly in section, showing one of the spring catches carried by the slidable top inentaryV vien/.bringing outfinore clearly ie arrangement oi tno stopthe drawer; Fig. d is a irag'rnentary pla view of the rearportion4 of the drawer and 7 isa detail perspeclf assooird'edv parts; C tive view the raise partition carryingftlie stop leverarranged'thereon; Fig. Sis a sec- 4snoronernnr.

Specification of etters Patent. Patent@ lever carried '1 ted tion taken about on theallineSfSfo g3 2 Fig. 9 is a view ot' themovablezlidforgcbve;

10 isa detail section '.talreifi.through;onef-I of the guideways on each side of the'gdeskio The desk illustrated inthe.,drawingsfcomui prises a body l mounted on'suitablfe1 legsQ'. i. and having a drawer -3 lsuchas customarily., used in desks of this classfsaididrawer, how-Tu ever being of peculiar construction; as Will be pointed out more clearly hereinafter; lThe desir is 'providedy with a superstructuresup-7..1 5;. ported. by the bodyl, said;superstructurey comprising a top 4, sides 15,2; movable .lidgor 1 cover 6, and suitable pigeon holes 7, shoul it be desired to einploythe latteriorconf venienttiling ot papersjnot of aparticularly: private nature. Y y, .The drawer 3 is provided with afpartition 8 intermediate its outer and linner ends, said-75 partition forming a. false inner. end.A or .back 1 for the drawer and `providing a'secret conl-4 11i partmert 9 just in rear of thepartition..af Thedrawer 3 is operablyy connected.with-1.T the lid or cover 6 by meansofthe .provisioni., 80 ot' arms l0 projecting rearwardly;,fromttheuv drawer, said arms havingflexibleiconnjec5` tions il extending trom'ytlliefrearendsoftlie-L arms and being attaohedvkat,-thein-'oppositeg ends to the front and rearfends othescovene 6. The cover 6 is preferably afa Qurvedorm and may be of rigid or,y leXible-constructio as desired, its side edgesloperating inyguifde yways 12 formed in the; opposite sidesqyo the superstructure. ofthe deskgtllhe cove 390 6 is provided primarily torpreventjdust from@- entering the space adjacent :togandfij'nrthe'i pigeon holes 7 and if desired, Va,lijve-Elocking,4 means may be provided; 4fory holdin the cover in its closed position,shown ili-ylg'gf,x 2 49 The fiexible connections` 11 1, ,consi/st: rprefw erably of suitable metallicV tape,;andlsa .l connections operate over/rollers. 153- loca-ted, gin rear of the pigeonholes-H `l`andoat,y vals beneath and throughout the' lengt; f the guideways l2. Saidconfectionsillfpass upwardly through opening'silein'the ,odvig 52* It of the deslt to theirfpointso 4'atta hment tothe cover 6. Vv .i

lt will be obvious from theiforegoi-ng. th whenever the drawer 3.is;pulledf out,fa con-Y responding movement bei HDPMB y the rear ends of the-.,conii; ections 11 Lener i a pull on the rear en dfot 7the',c'over simultaneously openingY the cover manner', wheng the drawer '.S'. ,@S, outery ot. front-)ends of a ,thegkconnectionsl 11;l

curved partition 15, is a secret compartment 16, above which is a removable shelf 17 forming another secret compartment 18 between the back 19 of the superstructure and the top 4 and said shelf.

Under ordinary conditions of use of the cabinet or desk hereinbefore described, the

` drawer 3 will be limited in its outward movement by means of a stop lever 20 piv- 'oted to the inner side of the partition 8, one

end of the stop lever projecting slightly above the partition so as to engage-with a. cleat or projection 21 secured to the under side of the top portion of the body 1. The normal-limit of movement of the drawer 3 is illustrated by the innermostdotted line position of the drawer shown in Fig. 2, and ofcourse, under ordinary conditions, the fact that there is a secret compartment 9 in rear of the partition 8 would not be known to any oneusing the cabinet because said compartment 9 is not lexposed until the "drawer moves outwardlyjto the outermost dotted line position shown in Fig. 2. In other words, the drawer 3 has two limits of outward movement, the inner limit of outward movement being fixed by engagement of the stop lever 20 with the part 21. In a similar'manner, by reason of the connections 11,'th'e cover 6 has two limlts of movement .rearwardly in the guideways 12, the first limit' of rearward movement positioning the cover so that it proj'ects at its end slightly beyond the spring catches 22 mounted on the sides 5 at'points intermediate the ends of the guideways 12. Springs 23 coact with the catchesn22 and normally tend to force said catchesoutwardl'y, such movement being resisted, however, by the cover 6 when the latter is closed and .when it is opened to its first vlimit of rearward movement.

,. to its limit of movement until it stops by engagement of the stop lever 2() with the projection '21, said person then moving downwardly a pivoted panel 24 on the outer side of the partition 8, thereby exposing a key-hole 25 normally hidden by said panel 24. ,A- key is then introduced into the keyhole 25 and turned to engage the lever 20 until the upper-end of said lever is disen-l gaged from the projection 21, whereupon thecoperator pulls the drawer to its outermost linsitof movement, said drawer having beenrelased bythe above operation. The cover 6 which, when the drawer is pulled to its first 'limit of outward movement, proycatches in engagement with the openings 26 in flanges 27 projecting downwardly from the top 4, is caused by the movement of the drawer to its outermost' limit, to move sufficiently far in the rearward direction tof be disengaged from the catches 22, releasingl said catches and permitting their springs i?) to force them out of engagement with the openings 26. The top 4 is adapted for horizontal sliding movement upon the sides 5, said sides having at their uppermost portions grooves to receive the flanges or tongues 27 of the top 4, as shown clearly in Fig. 3. Therefore, when the top 4 is released by disengagement from the catches 22, the operator can readily pull outwardly upon the top 4, moving it into the dotted line posit-iony l.accessible until the shelf 17, which? forms a side of the compartment 18, is removed, whereupon any papers or articles located in the compartment 16 will be found( accessible. The parts of the invention, having been operated in the manner described, and the secret compartments exposed, the operator closes said compartments by forcing the shelf 17 downwardly over the upper end of the compartment 16, after which the top 4 is slid rearwardly over the shelf 17'to hold the latter in place. The drawer 3 may nowk be forced inwardly, care being taken that the stop'lever 20 isprevented from engagement with the projection 21 in such move-4 ment. As soon as the partition 8 is locked at the inner side of the projection 21. the key by which the stop lever 2O is manipulated may be removed permitting said lever to gravitate into its operative position with respect to the part 21. The panel 24 is then raised to cover and hide ,from view the key hole 25, whereupon these parts of the invention which might create a suspicion that the cabinet is possessed of secret compartments, are rendered practically invisible, because in the closing movement of the drawer 3, the cover 6 has beeny pulled outwardly a su-flicient distance to engage over the catches 22, hiding these parts also from view and throwing said catches into locking engagement with the parts 27 on the top 4, preventingv displacement of the latter.

The panel 24 is hinged, but the hinges are practically invisible and said panel-isassociated with other panels 24 forming an ornamental portion of the drawer, the latter being rigid, however.

The front side of the '"npartment 16 consists of the partition 28, and the shelf 1T slides in grooves 17 in the opposite sides 5 ofthe superstructure on the body 1.

It' will of course be understood that cabii A seance nets constructed in accordance withthis invention will have different keys actuating their levers 20 in order to prevent opening of the drawer to its outermost limit of move- 'ient except by a person having the proper 'ey.

I-Iaving thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is: j

1. In a secret cabinet, the combination of able top normally closing said secret compartment, a drawer mounted on the body, locking means normally preventing movement of the top, and mechanism operable by the drawer and coacting with said locking means for releasing and preventing movement of the top.

, 2. In a secret cabinet, the combination of a'body having a secret compartment, a movable top normally closing said compartment, a drawer mounted in the body, locking means normally preventing movement of the top, a device for actuating said locking means to release or lock the top, and means connecting said device for operation by the drawer.

3. In a secret cabinet, the combination oi a v body having a secret compartment, a drawer mounted on the body, a top normally 30 closing said secret compartment, a cover cooperating with the top, means operable by the cover for locking and releasing the' top, and connections between the drawer and the cover, whereby the position of the drawer controls the position of the cover and cooperation of the latter with the locking means.

4. In a secret cabinet, the combination of a body having a secret compartment, a mov- 40 able top normally closing said compartment, a drawer, a movable cover associated with the top, catches preventing displacement of the top and normally prevented from operationy by the "cover, and connections between the cover and drawer for actuating the cover to permit the operation of the catches to release the top.

5. In a secret cabinet, the combination of a body having a secret compartment, a movable top normally closing said compartment,

catches normally preventing movement of the top, and a 'cover associated with the top and movable into positions -\rendering the speci to the-top.

6. In a secret a body having a secret compartment, a movable top normally closing said compartment, catches normally preventing movement of the top, and a cover coacting with said catches to throw the same into and out .or operative position with respect to the top.

i?. In. a secret cabinet, the combination of n body having a secret compartment, a movable top nomally closing said compartment,

a body having a secret compartment, a mov-- catches operative and inoperative with recabinet, the combination of' a drawer, catches normally preveiiA ng,

ment ofthe top, a cover 'operable@by drawer and coacting with'said'catch Ylt throw the same into and y,out ofop position with respect toy the top',,andmearl limiting the movement et' vlthedfra efr'lt'o'I prevent the cover from renderinglthe inoperative with respect .toth'eiop y normal conditions of service,v

8. In a`- secret cabinet, the" com matie -Hr f ,at ,mh-.Mii a body having a secret. compartment, a movable top normally closing said compartment, a drawer, catches normally preventing movement of the top, a cover operable by said drawer and coacting with said catches to throw the same into and out of operative position with respect to the top, means limiting the movement of the drawer to' prevent the cover from rendering the catches inoperative with respect to the top under normal conditions of service, and means for actuating the last mentioned means to permit the drawer'to move the cover into a position rendering the catches inoperative with respect to the top.

9. In a secret cabinet, the combination of a body having a secret compartment, closing means for said compartment rendering same normally inaccessible, lockingv means for closing means, a drawer coacting with the ,locking means to render the latter operative or inoperative, and means coacting with the drawer to normally prevent vmovement thereof beyond a predetermined position, whereby the locking means will be normally maintained inoperative.

10 In a secret cabinet, the comloination'ofv a body having a secret compartment, closing means for said compartment rendering same normally inaccessible, locking means for -the closing means, a drawer coacting with the locking means to render the latter operative or inoperative, and means coacting with the drawer to normally prevent movement there.

of beyond a predetermined position, whereby the locking means will be normally maintained inoperative, and means whereby the last mentioned means may be actuated to permit movement of the drawer beyond a predetermined position to render the' locking A means operative under certain conditions of service.

11. In a secret cabinet, the'combination of a body having a secret compartment, means normally closing said compartment and rendering the .same inaccessible, a locking de vice for the closing means, a movable cover arranged to prevent access to the locking means, means for actuating said cover, means for normally limiting the movement of the cover, maintaining the inaccessibility of the locking means, and means for causing abnormal movement of the cover to render the locking means accessible.

l2. In a secret cabinet, the combination of a body having a secret compartment, means normally closing said compartment and rendering the .same inaccessible, a locking device for the closing means, a movable cover arranged to prevenJ access to the locking means, a drawer connected with the cover for actuating 'the same, means cooperating with the drawer to limiiy the movement of @he latterto thereby limit the movement of the cover and normally maintain 'the inaccessilility of the looking means, and means whereby the last mentioned limiting means may be actuated to cause abnormal movements of 'the drawer and cover, rendering the looking means accessible.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

LEN KNASTER.'

Wi tnesses ADOLPH MUssoLINo, ADOLPH GRIMSDER. 

